H1N1/Swine Flu addressed in Town Hall Meetings
by Vanessa Goodwyn
The terms “swine flu” and “H1N1 flu” are heard frequently these days, and it is hard to know how serious the illness actually is and how much of a threat it is to your family. On Thursday, representatives of the Texas Department of State Health Services offered two Town Hall Meetings in Leon County to address the public’s concerns and to offer practical recommendations for staying healthy. The first meeting was at noon at the Annex II in Centerville, and the second at the Buffalo Civic Center at 6:00 p.m.
Epidemiologist Carol M. Davis was the primary speaker, offering plenty of useful information. Influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus, and here in Texas the “flu season” is generally November through March. Flu’s symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, chills, fatigue, headache and fever (often greater than 102.5). Flu can vary from mild to severe illness. There may be complications whhich may require hospitalization for people at high risk (pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and those with other existing health issues). About 36,000 people die from flu-related causes each year. Most of those (90%) are people older than 65 years of age.
A new strain of flu virus was identified this spring, and it is now known by several names: Swine Flu, H1N1, and Novel H1N1 Flu. Symptoms of the 2009 H1N1 flu are the same as described above with regular seasonal flu, and also range from mild to severe illness. Most victims recover without treatment, although some do need hospitalization and deaths have occurred.
Many people are alarmed to hear the H1N2 flu described as “pandemic”. Davis explained that the term simply means it has been identified all over the world. Other influenza pandemics include the Spanish Flu of 1918-19, the Asian Flu in 1957-58, and the Hong Kong Flu in 1968-69. Beause the other flu viruses have been around for several seasons, much of the population has developed immunity to the seasonal flu, but most people do not yet have immunity to this new strain. Another difference is that, unlike seasonal flu, younger people --especially those under 25-- are affected more by H1N1.
If you or someone in your family does get the flu, the patient at home should: get plenty of rest, drink clear fluids, cover coughs and sneezes, and wash hands often. Medical attention is needed if the illness progresses to include: difficulty breathing or chest pain, purple or blue lips, vomiting and can’t keep liquids down, signs of dehydration (dizziness when standing, no urine output, no tears in infants), seizures, or if the patient is less responsive than normal or seems confused.
Since the flu virus is spread person-to-person as people are coughing and sneezing, or as people touch contaminated surfaces, health experts suggest these Three C’s for stopping the spread of the illness:
- #1 CLEAN - Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner. (Teach children to wash long enough to sing the “ABC Song”!)
- #2 COVER - Cover your cough was a tissue, and dispose of the tissue. (If tissues are not available, they recommend coughing into your elbow, since that is seldom used to touch anything else.)
- #3 CONTAIN - Contain germs by staying home if you are sick. (Because you shed the virus awhile after the fever goes away, please wait to return to school or work until you have been fever free without medication for at least 24 hours.)
H1N1 vaccinations are coming this fall. Texas has started receiving small amounts of the vaccine but quantities are still limited. Watch for advertisements stating the dates and time of Vaccination Day, when the vaccine will be available through your private provider. Recommended groups for early H1N1 vaccinations incude pregnant women, people who care for children under 6 months of age, children 6 months through young adults 24 years of age, people with other health conditions, health care personnel with direct patient contact. Senior adults should still get their seasonal flu shot.
For more information to go www.texasflu.gov.
Este’ infomado: Visite los siguientes sitios Web con frecuencia para informacion.
- Sitio Web de los CDC: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/espanol/persona-enferma.thm
- Sitio Web del DSHS: www.texasflu.org
- Llame al 1-800-CDC-INFO para comunicarse a los Centros para el Control y la Prevencion de Enfermedades para mas informacion.
Pare la propagacion de germenes quo lo enferman a used y a otras personas!
- Cubra su tos
- Lavese las manos
- Quedese en casa cuando este’ enfermo. No mande a sus ninos a la escuela cuando esten enfermos.
